Distortion Project
by Louisxiiv
Summary: Let's join Jacob as he is transported to new but somewhat familiar world with a new body and goes on a journey to hopefully find a way home. This is a story I'm just doing for fun and its mostly going to be a slice of life kind of thing with elements of action, adventure, and romance thrown in. Any lemony scenes are purely optional, though.
1. Chapter 1

Hey all,

I originally intended for the introduction to be broken up into two chapters, but I couldn't find a good spot to split them so I hope y'all like long chapters. And I probably don't need to say this, but I do not own Pokemon (shocking, I know). Anyway, I'm just writing this story for fun but feel free to leave a review and follow if you like it... or even you don't like it, I'll still appreciate the review. I hope you enjoy, and stay frosty my dudes.

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**Chapter 1**

"_Ooohhh…what happened? Where am I? __And why does my head feel like I got into a kickboxing match with a kangaroo?__"_ I groaned inwardly as my brain attempted to reboot itself from what I could only guess was a really deep sleep. I was having quite a bit of trouble answering my own self-proposed questions, though, as I could feel a headache pounding away at my skull, and my mind felt like it was in some kind of drug induced haze, not that I had much familiarity with that feeling other than a few close calls with alcohol poisoning and that one time I was put under with anesthesia.

I'm not sure how long I ended up lying there waiting for my brain to properly wake itself up, but I eventually started to regain some of my senses and realized that I was lying down on my stomach against something that was rather hard and cold. I could also hear birds chirping and an owl hooting in the distance along with the rustling of leaves as I felt a breeze on my face.

"_Right, so I'm definitely not in my bed at the apartment. Although, I don't really remember going out last night either."_ I reasoned. Starting to get worried, I did my best to think about the last thing that I could remember doing. _"Let's see, the last thing I remember is that it was sunny for the first time in days… and that I had umm… decided to go for a walk around campus. Yeah, that sounds about right." _

Ever since I was a kid, I had enjoyed being outside and going on what my mom would call 'nature walks', which was really just me and her walking around the forest behind our house. As I got older, my parents made it a point to take me on a camping and hiking trip through one of the nearby national parks every year during the summer, and while I'm definitely no survivalist, I did learn some of the basic skills just in case I ever got lost and didn't want to make a bad situation worse. Unfortunately, our trips had to stop when I moved halfway across the country for college. I often found myself too busy during the summer months to make any prolonged visits, so we seldomly had enough time to plan a proper trip. Luckily for me though, or unluckily if you consider my current situation, my university campus is much larger than average and has a lot of undeveloped and somewhat secluded areas that act as parks and mini-nature reserves where students can just walk around and enjoy being outside.

As I lied there reminiscing some more, an extra painful throb in my head brought me back to reality and forcefully reminded me that waking up on the ground with a bad headache and without any recollection of how I got on said ground was, in fact, not good. With an inward sigh, I returned my attention back to the present. _"I must have fell and hit my head pretty hard to have been knocked out cold like that." _I thought dourly for a moment. However, I couldn't help but to chuckle a little bit at my own misfortune as I had been practically cursed with bad luck from birth. Through the years, I had learned to just roll with the punches and try to laugh it off the best I could. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger and all that jazz. Although, this time as I smiled it felt…different. Like the muscles in my lips and face were not in exactly the right place as they should be.

"_Damn, I must still be disoriented from that fall. Hopefully my face isn't actually banged up that much." _I thought belatedly as I tried to open my eyes for the first time to properly assess my situation. Unfortunately, the task seemed a bit too much for me still, and my headache intensified as I tried to look at the world around me. I immediately shut them to lessen the pain and cringed on the ground while trying to focus on my breathing. Eventually, the pain dulled back down to a manageable level, but my thoughts still felt hazy and disjointed.

"_Fuck that hurt. I wasn't even able to make out anything other than some dull brown and green blobs, which I'm going to guess are trees. There__ are a lot of wooded areas around campus __so that doesn't really help to narrow down the number of places__I__could __be__rrright__noooww__w__…__" _Feeling my inner ramblings begin to cloud over once again, I did my best to calm myself and tried to take a deep breath, with the key word there being tried. All I got for my trouble was something more like a shuddering gasp as my lungs were filled with air that was much colder than I was expecting for what was supposed to be a sunny spring afternoon. Nonetheless, the unusually cool air managed to clear my head a bit.

"_Well, that is definitely strange. It should be a lot warmer than that… oh well, I have bigger issues than mother nature forgetting what season it is. One of which is being heavily concussed in a fairly isolated part of campus where no one will probably find me for quite a while." _I lamented with a heavy sigh. _"I know I shouldn't try moving myself too much with a head injury, but seeing as no one is around to help, I'll have to at least make it far enough back to campus to flag someone down." _I thought begrudgingly as I began to try and wrestle control of my body, which was still feeling oddly stiff and very uncooperative. I could feel my legs and arms moving, as well as some other sensations that I couldn't quite place, but they were refusing to bend in the ways that they were supposed to.

Growing frustrated with my body's inability to follow simple commands, I let out a low growl and huff. "_Ugh, this is getting me nowhere. I need to see what's going on." _With more trepidation and caution than the action probably deserved, I slowly began to open my eyes once again. The pain in my head increased some more but not nearly as much as last time, so I pushed through it as I slowly blinked my eyes and squinted at my surroundings. With each blink, my eyes began to focus more and more, and the colored blobs slowly began to materialize into trees that fit into what looked like a much gloomier and more heavily wooded area than I was expecting. In fact, I couldn't think of any woods I've been to that was as dense or as huge as the foliage was here. Seriously, these trees looked like they could be as big as California Redwoods or something. Also, the soft light permeating the area made me think it must be either early morning or late in evening, which would explain the cooler than normal air since it was still early enough in spring for the temperature to drop quite a bit at night. _"Damn, it was midday from what I remember, so I've already been out for a while."_ Trying not to dwell too much on that, I continued to stare at the overgrown woods ahead of me.

After marveling at the gargantuan trees for a few more seconds, I took notice of something else in my field of view that didn't make much sense. Focusing on what was right in front of my face, I saw what looked like a short brown, fuzzy muzzle with a small black patch of skin on the tip, kind of like a dog's nose. Furrowing my brows with extreme bewilderment, I instinctively reached up to the front of my face to touch whatever this thing was supposed to be, only to stop halfway as a small cyan colored paw came into view where my hand should have been. For the next few seconds, I silently stared at it with the same look of confusion as my mind sluggishly tried to understand what was going on. I decided to try something and slowly began to move my hand left and right. To my slowly growing horror, I saw the paw mimic the commands I was giving my hand. After stopping my motions for a second, I then refocused on the brown muzzle in front of me and moved my 'hand' to touch the tip of it. As the paw made contact, I felt something soft and leathery touch my nose at the same time I felt what was supposed to be my hand touch a somewhat wet, textured patch of skin. My mind seemed to shut down for a minute as I stared at the point of contact and struggled to comprehend what my eyes were seeing in conjunction with what my hand and nose were feeling. As if needing confirmation, I repeated the action of touching my nose and was met with the same result.

"_...What. The. Actual. Fuck…" _I was frozen in this position as the pit that had been slowly growing in my stomach suddenly turned into a black hole of dread and desperation. My eyes shot wide as I began to hyperventilate, and I could feel my heart reaching a very unhealthy number of beats per minute as it tried to hammer its way out of my ribcage. I opened my mouth to scream only to immediately close it with a whimper and screw my eyes shut as the headache I had been ignoring came back with a vengeance. Finally, after a few minutes of cringing on the ground, my headache subsided, and I managed to get my breathing under control again, although I could still feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins screaming at me to jump up and run away as far as I could. Shakily, I lifted my head off the ground and opened my eyes once more to try and process the sheer amount of absurdity of my situation. Just to make sure I hadn't imagined it, I looked down at the paw and began moving it around as if it were my hand before finally setting it back down and staring ahead once more.

Doing my best to ignore my newest discovery and to prevent another panic attack, I opted to take in the rest of the scenery around me. As my head gently swiveled left and right, I realized that I wasn't actually on the ground but instead was on a large moss-covered rock in a small circular clearing that was covered in short grass and dotted with red and yellow wildflowers. Satisfied with what was in front of me, I then maneuvered myself on to my right side and tentatively looked back. Ignoring the black tuft of fur and the small furry body at the edge of my vision, I scanned the area behind myself only to discover more of the same grass and flowers that had been in front of me along with a few squirrels scurrying up and down some of the trees near the edge of the clearing.

Ready for the brisk air this time, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright Jacob, you can do this. Just be calm and analyze the problem." I mumbled to myself for some reassurance only for it to backfire as I grimaced when I heard a voice that sounded younger than my own. Grant it, I am only 21, but the voice I just heard sounded like I was 16 again. Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I opened my eyes and steeled myself for what I was about to do and its inevitable conclusion. I slowly looked down to the furry body and began to take in the details that I saw. Turns out the black tuft of fur was more of black mane, sort of like lion's, and the rest of my body was covered in what looked like dark brown downy fur, with the exception of my paws which were covered in short cyan fur going up a bit past the first joint above them. Focusing on my front left paw, I couldn't help but to bring it closer to my face and try to flex it while I pondered what I was seeing. _"It doesn't look like a dog's paw nor does it quite look like a cat's either. I guess it kind of reminds me of a fox's… maybe. I'm not all that familiar with the anatomy of different animals, so I don't really have much of an idea_." I thought as I stared at it and managed to push the claws out of my toes and then retract them. I shuddered at the alien feeling. As a shiver reached the base of my spine, I saw a small flicker of movement in my peripheral. Shifting my attention back to the end of my body, I saw a small plush-looking tail that was the same brown color as the rest of my body flick into view and rest on my hind leg. I tried to move it again by focusing on it but failed miserably after only making it twitch a bit. I carefully reached back with my paw to feel it and to try to figure out if it was possible for me to control it. After reaching it, I discovered that it was in fact as soft as it looked as I ran my paw through it. _"Man, if I could make blankets out of this stuff, I'd be rich." _I thought somewhat darkly as I tried not to think about the fact that this was _my__ tail_ I was feeling with _my __paw_. After some trial and error, I managed to curl my paw enough to get a small grip near the base of it and, without really thinking, gave it a sharp tug.

"FUCK!" I yipped as I felt a surprisingly painful shock at the base of my spine which caused the tail to flick back down to the stone and mostly out of view as soon as I released it. I huffed and scowled at my own stupidity as I continued to stare at my back end. _"This is crazy. I want to say that this isn't real and that I'm either in a coma or dreaming, but that pain I just felt was definitely real." _I thought with more labored breath as I tried to come to terms with what was happening. I took a few extra seconds to steady my breathing as I did my best to relax my posture before resuming my inner monologue. _"Still, I can't imagine any possible scenario where I wake up in an unknown forest with a killer headache and with the body of some kind of weird, mutated fox." _As I continued to look over myself, a new worry started to rise in my head as a fearful expression took over my face. Hesitantly, I lifted my hind leg and looked down my belly. With a relieved sigh I let my leg drop back down.

"Oh thank God, I still have my boys. I'm not sure I could have handled any more major body modifications today." Still relieved at this new silver lining, I turned forward again and rested my head on my forepaws. "Alright, so I'm lost and alone in a body that isn't mine, or even human for that matter," I grumbled, "and I have no idea how any of this could have possibly happened… perfect… just perfect." I lamented. Sullenly, I picked my head up and examined the blue paws laid out in front of me. Deciding that sulking wasn't doing me any good, I started planning my first move. "I guess… the first thing I need to do is figure out how to stand up and get off this rock." I slowly used my forepaws to push myself into a sitting position which came surprisingly easy and felt mostly natural. With some newfound confidence, I maneuvered my hind legs under me and carefully pushed against the rock with them. I shakily rose to a standing position as I worked muscles that I've never had before, but eventually, I managed to come to a stance that at least looked relaxed. I inspected my body once again, and it was now that I realized why everything looked a lot bigger to me. Even standing at my full height, I guessed I was probably only about two and a half feet tall!

"_Well, that at least explains why everything looks huge. Alright, now time for the hard part." _I thought as I gingerly started lifting my limbs to 'walk in place' to try and get a feel for my new body. Again, the motions felt oddly natural and I only stumbled a bit on the first few tries. Luckily, the rock was big enough for me to walk around on, so I started taking a very leisurely pace around the top of it. _"This is really odd. I would have expected learning to walk again to be a lot harder. Then again, absurd seems to be the flavor of the day, so I'm just gonna go with it."_

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I continued around the rock while staying focused on my forepaws and what was in front of me. After about my fifth circuit, I started trying to think of how I was going to actually get off the rock, which admittedly wasn't very high off the ground, but face planting down the side of it still wouldn't feel very good. Unfortunately, while I was looking ahead and forming my next plan of action, my hind legs managed to catch a particularly wet patch of moss which subsequently sent them sliding over the edge along with the rest of my body. Stricken with panic, my claws instinctively extended as I scrabbled to find a purchase on the rock. Despite digging grooves through the moss, my claws couldn't grip anything, and I fell ass first on to the hard ground a few feet below. This probably wouldn't have hurt too bad, though, if only I hadn't landed directly on my tail, which is kind of a hard feeling to describe really, but I'll try anyway. Imagine stubbing your toe on the sharp edge of a metal post, but instead, your toe is at the top of your ass and is also directly connected to your spine. It doesn't feel good.

"AHHH! Son of a bitch that stings!" I exclaimed as I tried rubbing at the base of my tail to ease the pain. I quickly stopped though as I felt my ears perk up at what sounded like someone laughing nearby. _"Finally, maybe I can get some answers."_ I thought as I hopped back into a standing position and jerked my head left and then right while peering through the tree line looking for the owner of the voice.

"Hahahahahah, oh boy, you really stuck the landing on the one youngster. And I had a pretty good view of it from up here, too." Said a much older and jovial voice. Turning my head up, I was, not for the first time since I woke up, staring slack-jawed at what was in front of me. It was an owl… a really big owl, which in and of itself isn't too surprising since I seemed to have shrunk quite a bit when compared to my old body, but it was the fact that I recognized it, or at least its species anyway, that was throwing me for a loop. There, in the branches above me, was an older looking noctowl with solid white eyebrows and grayed feathers adorning its chest. _"That's a noctowl… like from Pokémon… I must have had a stroke or something." _I thought as I silently stared at him. With a heave, the great owl spread its wings and launched off the branch while slowly gliding to a spot in front of me.

Still staring with my mouth agape and at a loss for words, the owl gave me a quizzical look and decided to break the ice. "Hahaha, well I'll tell ya boy. You sure have been a _hoot_ to watch, but I'm glad you've managed to get your paws under you again." He said as he started softly chuckling to himself. Thankfully, his terrible pun broke me from my stupor as I instinctively face palmed. Face pawed? Either way, I let out a heavy groan at this extra level of crazy.

"Wow, that was actually a pretty bad one." I groaned as I lowered my paw back to the ground and got a better look at my new visitor. He did in fact appear elderly as the arrows on his chest had dulled and grayed heavily over the years. I could also make out some old scars amongst his thinning plumage as well as some wrinkles along his face. However, my observations were cut short as he decided to continue the conversation.

"Oh, you youngsters just don't know how to have fun anymore these days." He said as he adjusted a few feathers along his wing and then returned his attention back to me. "Anyway, my name is Breezeway, but most folks around here just call me Breezy. I was just heading back to my nest for the night when I saw you dozing on the rock over there," Breezy said as he gestured a wing tip behind me, " so I decided to stick around until you woke up. You were out for so long though, I ended up taking a nap myself, but I did wake up in time to catch that finale of yours at the end there." He chuckled as he finished his introduction.

"Haha, yeah, I was just a bit… disoriented from having such a good nap." I awkwardly chuckled and forced a smile on my face as I stared up at the old, all be it intimidatingly large, bird. I continued staring at him not really sure if I could trust him enough to ask him how the heck he even existed and how I had somehow transformed into a fox in the middle of the woods. He gave me an expectant look as I realized I hadn't properly introduced myself yet. "Oh um, my name is uhhh…" I stopped in my introduction as I had extended a paw towards him as if to shake his hand and thought better of giving him my actual name. Not being too good at being put on the spot like that, I said the first thing that came to mind as I looked at my paw, "…Blue. You can call me Blue, Mr. Breezeway um, sir." I forced my smile a little bigger as I cringed inwardly at my amazing stroke of creativity.

Cocking one side of his eyebrow, he gave me a questionable look as he extended a wing tip to bump against my paw before letting out another low chuckle and gaining a smile on his beak. "Ha, I guess your folks weren't too terribly original when they named you huh, kiddo. And please, just Breezy is fine."

"Ha ha, yeah, I guess you could say that, Mr. Breezy." I said with a little bit less of a forced smile as I actually did feel a little more relaxed around the large owl.

To his credit, Breezy just rolled his eyes at the formality. While it did remind him that he was getting on in years, he nonetheless appreciated the respect that was meant behind the youngster's words. A quality that was sorely lacking in much of the other forest's youths these days.

Before another awkward silence could take hold, the large avian decided to go ahead and ask what was on his mind. "Speaking of your folks, I've lived here for most of my life, and while most of the zoroark pairs around here aren't very sociable, I have met all of them. Yet, I've never seen any of them with a shiny zorua before. I'm going to guess that you're not from around here, are you, Blue?" He asked quizzingly.

"_A zorua? Shit, I have no idea what that is. I know that a zoroark is Pokémon, so I'm betting that a zorua is the previous evolution to that. I haven't played any of the games or kept up much with the fandom since gen II, though, so I'm not really sure. I can barely recall an episode from the anime where a zoroark creates some kind of illusion at an abandoned Pokémon center and pretends to be nurse Joy or something. And based on how he's talking, we're in some woods that actually have zoroarks and, most likely, other Pokémon as well. Did I somehow get transported to the world of Pokémon and forced to play the role of one?! I… I… I just… I just don't know how I'm supposed handle that. Either way, big bird here is staring a hole through me and is waiting on an answer. Crap, how am I going to play this."_ Averting my eyes downward and chewing on the inside of my cheek, I decided to just wing it… crap now even I'm making bad puns. "Well, no sir, not exactly. Although, to be honest, I have no idea how I got here, and as for my parents… my mom died a year ago, and I haven't seen my father in quite a long time." I said truthfully as I looked back up to meet Breezy's eyes. He continued to stare at me for a long second as a more somber atmosphere settled around us and his features softened a bit.

"Hmmm, I am terribly sorry for you lose, kid. These keen eyes of mine don't miss much, so I know you're telling the truth and not just fishing for some sympathy." He said solemnly as I looked back to the ground with a more sullen expression. He shifted closer and extended a wing around me. "That being said though," he stated as he brought my eyes back to his, "I can also tell you're not telling the whole truth of the matter either." I was about to object, but before I could even fully open my mouth for a retort, he stopped me. "And that's alright, Blue. We all have secrets and reasons to hide things, and I'm not going to press you too much on it unless I think it's important."

Slightly taken aback by the old bird's observation skills, I couldn't help but stutter a bit while thinking about how I should reply to that. _"Okay, I was not expecting that. I'll need to be a bit careful around him in the future, but he seems alright enough. I still don't think he'll be able to help me figure out how I got here, though… Oh well, as long as I'm mostly truthful with him, I should be fine." _After my brief contemplation, I decided to just keep talking with him and see where that went. "Well, umm, I appreciate it, Mr. Breezy." I said somewhat sheepishly.

"Ha, no problem, kiddo." He said heartily as he moved back to his spot in front of me. "But, getting back on topic, I'm guessing you're not planning on calling that rock over there home for the foreseeable future, eh?" He asked with a nod behind me again. With a quick shake of my head and a 'No, sir,' he continued "Hmph, that's what I thought. Since you're new to the forest, mind if I ask what your plans are?"

At his question, I brought my paw up to my chin and looked back to the ground with a thoughtful expression as if I could find the answer there. _"My plans? That is… a really good question actually. I should be trying to find a way back home, but I'm mostly at a loss on how I could possibly do that. Heck, I don't even know how I got here to begin with. Unless I happen to run into Mewtwo or some other legendary, I can't think of any realistic way to just hop dimensions and find my way back. If I find Professor Oak or maybe some other regional researcher, they might be able to point me in the right direction, but that's a long shot at best. I'm not even sure if I could properly communicate with them either seeing as the people in the anime couldn't understand Pokémon. However, Meowth learned how to speak with people, so maybe I can, too. Either way, that's a long-term goal, and I need to figure out what I'm going to do right now. First things first, I need to know where I am." _Finishing my introspection, I returned my attention back to Breezeway. "I'm not really sure, actually. And to be honest, I don't even know where I am right now. Is there any way you could you tell me a bit about this place, Mr. Breezy?" I asked as I gestured to the woods around us. His questioning gaze quickly turned into a more concerned look before speaking.

"Hmmm, I thought I saw you land on your tail when you fell off that rock, kiddo, but I'm beginning to think maybe you hit your head on the way down somehow, too." He said as he leaned in closer to me looking for what I would guess to be possible head trauma. After some brief assurances from me, he continued. "Well, right now you're in the Winding Woods just south of Snowbelle City." He explained as he gestured off to the side. "Snowbelle is a human settlement that, as you could probably guess, is covered with snow for most of the year. Further to the south from here is a large clearing called Pokémon Village which is where many other Pokémon around here, including myself, call home. We originally founded it to help protect ourselves from any would be human adventurers that occasionally come from Snowbelle." He said with a slight look of disdain and a ruffle of his feathers before returning to a more prideful expression. "It has grown quite a bit over the years, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't proud of the progress we've made. As for the forest itself, it is actually quite safe for Pokémon as most of the wild animals around here don't pose much of a threat, and most of the other Pokémon are willing to leave each other alone, unless there's some sort of territorial dispute going on that is."

"..._Well crap, I don't recognize any of those names, and if I ask him which region I'm in, he'll be way too suspicious. *sigh* I guess my best option right now is to learn how to survive and use this new body until I can find an opportunity to get out of here." _With a plan in mind and seeing as no more exposition was forthcoming from Breezeway, I decided to let him know what I wanted to do. "Hmm, in that case, I suppose I could try living in the forest for a while, but I'm not sure if I'll stick around for very long. I kind of want to travel around a bit and see what's out there in the world, you know?" Breezeway seemed to smile a bit at that as I saw a faint twinkle in his eye.

"Hahaha, yes, I do believe I know a thing or two about that, young one. Not to puff up my own feathers, but I was quite the adventurer back in my youth. Back when I was still just a hoothoot, I travelled all over the region with a trainer who was taking on the Kalos gym challenge. I'd gotten to see and experience so many amazing things along the way, it's hard to keep track of all of them." He reminisced as his eyes glazed over a bit reliving his past triumphs. While he took a moment looking off in the distance, I thought about the name he just mentioned. _"The Kalos region huh. I remember hearing about it, but I can't remember which generation that was, let alone anything that could be remotely helpful."_ I returned my attention back to Breezeway and realized that he was talking once again.

"By far the best part though, was meeting the love of my life outside of Lumiose City after one of our excursions there. Our love was a bit… unconventional as she was a swellow, but to me, she was the most perfect creature Arceus had ever put on this earth. I convinced her to travel with us for a time, and as our love grew, she and I decided that we wanted to settle down and start a family. Thankfully, my trainer agreed that it was what would be best and released me to be with her. We then migrated here to these woods and set out on our new lives as parents and mentors." He recalled wistfully. "All of my children have grown up since then, though, and left the coop, so to speak, to live their own lives, and I honestly couldn't be any more proud of them." He took a second for a breath before adopting a more solemn expression as I continued to listen silently. "They still visit from time to time, but it honestly hasn't been the same since Shade passed away a few years ago. She… she didn't deserve the fate that befell her, and I think its best I leave it at that." He stopped for a second to wipe the mist from his eyes with one of his wings before continuing. "But nonetheless that is in the past now, and I doubt you were wanting to hear an old bird's life story. My apologies for rambling on like that, Blue."

Feeling my own eyes begin water from the level of emotion Breezeway was showing, I move closer to him and place a paw on his leg. "Nonsense, there's nothing to apologize for Mr. Breezy. Just because something happened in the past doesn't make it any less painful. I'm sorry you had to experience what you did, but I hope it doesn't stop you from remembering the happier times with her. It sounds like you've lived an amazing life, Breezeway, and I honestly wouldn't mind listening to some more of your stories, especially if you feel like you need to get some things off your chest." I finished as I looked up at him with a reassuring smile before I had to stop and wipe the wetness out of my own eyes.

When I looked back up, he wore a soft smile. "That is very kind of you to say, Blue. I deeply appreciate the sympathy, but I believe we will have to save the stories for another time. Afterall, we have yet to address where exactly you'll be staying here in the forest." He said with an expectant look.

"Well, about that. The only problem is that, well… I've lived kind of a sheltered life up to this point, and I don't think I could really survive completely on my own out here. I'll need some help learning to fend for myself, so I was wondering if I could come back with you to Pokémon Village and learn more about what I can do before heading off on my own?" I asked hopefully.

Now back to his jovial self, Breezeway heartily voiced his approval of my plan. "Hahaha, yes, I do believe we have enough room for a single zorua. Although, I hope you're okay with sharing a burrow for a little while until we can get a proper one dug out for you. And I'm sure one of the zoroark families around the village will be willing to teach you a thing or two about surviving in these woods." Finally with something going in my favor for once, I mentally rejoiced as I felt a relieved smile cross my face. Seeing my happiness with his decision, Breezeway continued, "Now then, we've already spent the night out here, and the rest of the village should be waking up soon. It should be easy enough for me carry you there, so get ready to hold on an-" His debriefing of our flight itinerary was cut short though, as both of us perked up at the sound of the foliage being disturbed just past the tree line off to the side of us. We both turned our heads to the spot where the noise was coming from where, much to my surprise, a guy fell out into the clearing after tripping on a particularly well disguised root. I cringed a bit as I heard his face hit the ground hard, and I felt a pang of sympathy for him. I continued staring at him as he slowly picked himself up to his knees while holding on to his head and muttering what sounded like obscenities to himself. He was young, maybe around 18 or so, and a fairly average looking guy. He wore a light blue cap over his beach blonde hair and was wearing some typical, albeit very dirty, looking hiking apparel complete with a very large, overstuffed green backpack.

"Oh my gosh, Dustin are you ok?" Said a young girly voice as my attention shifted further behind him to try and spy the next human interloper. Instead of girl though, what appeared from behind him was a very concerned looking eevee. "_Oh my god, if she just isn't the most adorable thing I've ever seen."_ I thought while strongly ignoring the instinct to walk over there and pet her. However, I quickly found myself a bit disconcerted by the fact that a talking eevee appearing in front of me was not nearly as shocking as it should have been. _"I really should be more surprised, but I think I've already hit my quota for today." _I thought silently as I watched her. As she approached him, we continued to listen to the pair as they had yet to actually notice us, which is a little hard to believe since there is a freaking 6-foot owl standing only about 20 yards away from them. " *sigh* It's alright Eve, I just tripped on a root… again." He grumbled while picking himself back up to his feet and dusting himself off. _"Wait, did he just call her Eve? Wow… and I thought I was bad with names." _I thought as I watched him begin to look around the clearing until our eyes finally met. We stared at each other for a second until his gaze flicked over to the large avian standing beside me.

Thankfully, the staring match didn't last long as the eevee jumped in front of the guy and cheerfully pointed over to us while looking back at her companion. "Look, Dustin! We finally found some Pokémon!" At her words, the young trainer looked a bit more nervous as he continued to look at the fully grown noctowl before replying. "Yes, Eve, I can see the noctowl, but I haven't seen that other Pokémon before." Him and Breezeway eyed each other carefully as he reached into his pack and pulled out some kind of red tablet. I didn't immediately recognize what it was, so I looked over at Breezeway to gauge the situation. He didn't seem very concerned, so I returned my attention back to the trainer with a nonplussed expression. The tablet then extended a little bit as he aimed it at me, and a mechanical voice started which I immediately recognized as the standard sound of a pokédex. _"Wow, that thing looks a lot more high-tech than it did in gen I."_

We all stood listening with rapt attention as the little machine began. "Zorua (shiny variety), the tricky fox Pokémon. This Pokémon is rarely encountered in the wild as it typically uses illusions to hide itself and its den. When caught in the open, it will sometimes take the appearance of a silent child. To escape predators, zorua will use its illusion ability to make itself look like a much larger and stronger Pokémon. For inexperienced zorua, the illusion is sometimes incomplete as their real tail shows through. Generally, touching its tail or disturbing its concentration will break the illusion."

"_Huh, so I can make illusions. That will be a neat trick to learn later." _I thought as the pokédex finished its monologue and was returned to its pocket.

The trainer looked back to me with elation as he twisted his cap back and spread his feet in a ready stance. "Alright! It looks like our luck is finally turning for the better, Eve. The very first Pokémon were going to catch is that shiny zorua!" He exclaimed while thrusting his finger at me. The eevee returned her attention back to me with a look of determination and got in a battle stance. "I won't let you down, Dustin!"

My eyes narrowed at their pronouncement of my own attempted kidnapping. _"OH, THE HELL YOU BOTH SAY!? Not just no, but hell no." _I fumed as I instinctively lowered myself into a ready position. Realizing that I had no idea how to battle, I remained calm as I was fairly confident Breezeway would back me up, but I decided to try a more diplomatic approach first anyway and addressed the pair. "I appreciate the offer, but I feel like I must whole-heartedly decline as I have no interest in being 'caught' at this time." I formally stated with my eyes still narrowed and with a touch of venom added to that last part.

To her credit, Eve didn't seem very much phased by the amount of malice I was directing toward them as she flipped back to her joyful expression. "Sorry, but no can do. Dustin just graduated from the trainer academy in Snowbelle, and we're needing another team member before heading to our first gym battle." She said matter-of-factly. "Don't worry though. I've lived with him for years, and he's a great trainer. He can be a bit of a klutz at times, but he's always been there for me and he really cares. He's always bent over backwards to make sure I've had anything I've ever wanted, and he's never asked me to do anything that I really didn't want to do. Travelling with us is gonna be a lot of fun as we explore Kalos together, and I'm sure we can learn to be the best of pals along the way." She explained as she adopted a more open and friendly posture. "So, what do you say, do you want to leave this gloomy old forest behind and come with us on our grand adventure and be friends." She finished by sitting on her haunches with a hopeful expression and spreading her arms like she was going to hug something.

I let the silence in the air hang for a second as I digested what she told me. With even more narrowed eyes, I let her know my thoughts with a low growl. "Not. A. Chance. In. Hell." I spat while I could feel my anger boiling at the idea of being enslaved to this kid.

With a disappointed look, she jumped back to her ready stance. "Well, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way then." She said with a pout before shifting her expression to an eerie smile. "Don't worry though, you'll learn to love it."

"…_Alright, you are much less adorable now and a lot more psycho." _I thought as I felt a tad unnerved by that last statement. Luckily, Breezeway stepped up for me and decided to make his presence known again. He stepped forward purposefully between me and the eevee as I saw his feathers fluff and the chorded muscles along his back tighten with each flex of his wings. "I do believe he's made himself perfectly clear on matter, little miss. Furthermore, I think you kids should learn some respect. This forest is meant to be haven for peaceful Pokémon wanting to live free from the bonds of the outside world and enjoy their lives. And you will **Not** come waltzing in here while making such threatening declarations that directly oppose that while I still live and breathe. **I** **will not allow it!**"He proclaimed with a levelled stare as each statement grew in intensity and seemed to physically press against our opponents. The eevee and her trainer were looking much less sure of themselves now and had already given up enough ground that Dustin was practically standing behind the tree line looking ready to cut his losses and bolt.

Seeing their apprehension and that Breezeway was going to handle things, I relaxed a bit and let out a relieved sigh as I mumbled my thanks to the fates above. "Phew, I'm glad that Breezy's here. I have no idea how to battle, so I would have been up shit creek if he hadn't stepped in." I looked back to Breezeway as he had his wings spread, ready to blast them all the way back to Snowbelle City, only for me to see him stop mid-flap as he twisted his head 180 degrees and regarded me with a questioning stare. I figured that, as an owl, he could probably do that with his head but seeing it up close still made my spine shudder a bit.

"Do you mean to say that you've never battled before, Blue?" He asked inquisitively as he twisted his body sideways and let his wings fall back to his sides.

"Well, I mean, no, not really. I've never needed to before." I explained sheepishly as I looked at Breezeway trying to figure out what the hold up was. He seemed to be thinking hard about something as he brought a wing tip up to his chin before glancing back to the human and the eevee and then back to me.

A great smile then spread across his beak, which made feel decidedly uncomfortable with whatever he was thinking of. "Well, in that case, I do believe now would be an ample opportunity to learn, don't you think?" I stared at him questioningly for a second while I processed what he said. I then felt dread overtake me as his words sank in, and I was forced to contemplate the odds of me not getting my ass kicked by the psycho ball of fur standing at the edge of the clearing. I quickly turned to her and began to gauge my chances of survival. As I looked into her eyes, her nervous demeanor disappeared and was slowly replaced by an uncomfortably large smile as she realized that the large noctowl was going to leave me to my fate. _"Yep, I'm fucked." _I thought in a panic as I started stuttering while trying to brainstorm ideas that could convince Breezeway that this was an absolutely awful idea. However, I wasn't able to form more than a few coherent words before Breezeway started laughing like the crazy old coot that he was and lifted himself off the ground.

"Hahaha, don't worry about a thing, kid. Just do your best and focus on the battle." He said with far more mirth than he had any right to. With a pleading expression, I watched him climb up into the trees and disappear behind the canopy. Turning my head back towards them, I saw the eevee still looking at me with _that_ smile, but her trainer was still staring, with a somewhat astonished face, up to where Breezeway had disappeared to.

"Wow, I guess he was all bark and no bight huh, Eve." He said with growing confidence while readying his stance. "Alright Eve, are you ready to help me catch our first partner?" He asked enthusiastically while looking down at her. "Ready when you are Dustin!" She exclaimed with matching enthusiasm while springing back in front of her trainer and crouched low waiting for his order.

With my backup gone and my original bravado no longer forthcoming, I started backing up to try and put some distance between me and the eevee as I did the only thing I could think of. I panicked. _"Crap! Crap! Crap! I don't even know what kind of moves I have, let alone how to use them! Are regular Pokémon moves even a thing here?! Or are we just supposed to start ripping into each other like rabid dogs?! Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. I am not doing this." _I thought frantically as I spun around and made a bee line for the trees while the guy started shouting behind me.

"Quick, Eve, close the distance. Don't let him get away!" Taking a glance behind as I was still running, I saw the eevee begin charging straight towards me at full speed. It looked like that even with my unfamiliarity with this body, I had enough of a head start to beat her to the woods, so as long as I can lose her there, I'll make it out of this in one piece. At least, that's what should have happened. To my horror, a white corona formed around her, and her legs started glowing white as she exponentially picked up speed. Then, in a flash, she disappeared. My eyes went wide as I realized what she just did, and I did my best to dodge to the side. I wasn't quite fast enough, though, as her quick attack clipped my shoulder and sent me rolling on the ground as she continued on her original trajectory past me.

"Reverse off that tree Eve, and then follow up with some scratch attacks!" Dustin yelled from behind me. I scrambled up to my paws trying to jump out of the way again, but Eve was already launching off the tree in front of me in a flash as I got up. I wasn't even able to move before I took a direct hit from the quick attack and felt the wind knocked out of me as I was launched on to my back. Eve further emptied my lungs by landing on top me and fixed me with a steely glare while she continued her assault without mercy. I flinched as I saw her claws extend and her paws glow white as she started swiping at me. I reflexively shut my eyes and brought my paws up to protect my face and neck.

My panic reached its crescendo as I felt pain lance across my arms and chest, and I lost the ability to think about what was going on. With my adrenaline and panic fully setting in, I felt an odd… force inside me start to stir. Hoping that it would somehow save me and without thinking about possible consequences, I grabbed hold of it and used it to strike out at my opponent. I opened my eyes seeing black tendrils snaking up from my maw, and in one swift, fluid movement, I reached up and bit down hard on the eevee's neck. All I saw was shock and pain on her face as her eyes went wide before I violently twisted my body to the side and slammed her head-first into the ground. Not done with her yet, I used my hold to grind her face into the dirt as I leveraged myself into a standing position above her and started swiping at the back her head with my own glowing paws. Unlike her though, I angled my swipes more vertically as each hit sent her head smacking into the ground again and again. Not one to just stand around, Dustin started barking orders once again.

"Eve! Roll over and make him feel bad for hitting you!" I didn't quite hear him as I was in fight or flight mode and continued my assault, but even if I had, I would have found the statement laughable at best. Eve apparently knew what he meant, though, and fought through the pain as she rolled over while scooping up some dirt in her paw and throwing it in my face. I was actually quite shocked that the little eevee was able to keep fighting after having her head hit that much. _"Maybe Pokémon are just tougher and can take a lot more damage than people. Either that or she's just one thick-headed eevee." _I pondered as I had to falter in my attack to wipe the dirt from my eyes. As I regained my sight, she was still laying there on her back clearly a bit disoriented while peering straight into my eyes. Before I could launch my next set of scratch attacks, a pink glow surrounded her eyes, and I couldn't help but stare into them.

Then, all I could see were those eyes and the tears streaming from them. I could feel all the pain and hardship I had put this poor eevee and her trainer through. _"I'm a terrible person. I shouldn't be fighting this girl. She and her trainer just wanted to be friends, and this is how I repay them. By beating up on this poor, defenseless eevee. I should just give up and ask them to forgive me for ever being such a massive prick." _I whimpered as I felt my own eyes starting to water from all the emotion I was feeling. I continued to stare into those eyes, transfixed by her gaze until another errant thought surfaced from my subconscious that was in a voice practically dripping with saccharine. _"~~You're going to learn to looovvvveee it~~." _My eyes shot wide with terror as I imagined an eevee wearing a ridiculously creepy grin complete with overly sharp teeth and blood-red eyes. The imaginary eevee then cocked her head to the side while laughing darkly in a much deeper voice than should be normal. With shudders running down my spine, I remembered where I was and shook myself out of my stupor. Looking back down with a leer, I was caught off-guard as Eve reared her head back and headbutted me right between the eyes causing me to stumble backwards and allowing her to scramble back to her feet. As we regained our footing with some space between one another, we eyed each other wearily as we were both panting and looking far worse for wear. I took the moment to briefly look her and myself over to get a better idea of what kind of damage our bodies had taken. To my surprise and despite looking like we had fallen out of the back of a truck, there wasn't any blood or open wounds on either of us that I could see. I was quickly broken from my trauma assessment, though, as Dustin took the lull in action to chime in with a new plan.

"Alright Eve, we've got him on the ropes. Put some distance between him and finish him off with a swift attack." Heeding her trainer's words, she jumped backwards out of my range with him and the moss-covered rock just off to the side and behind her as she began preparing her attack.

With my adrenaline fading, I began feeling the toll of the battle on my body. As I felt my energy slipping away from me, I found it much more difficult to formulate any kind of effective plan to get out of this. _"Shit. If there's one thing I remember from the original Pokémon games, its that swift was a move that never misses. I can already tell I won't be able to get back up if I get hit with that, and there's no way I'll be able to reach her in time to stop her attack." _ I thought desperately searching for an answer while stars started forming behind her. I was running out of time as I began to panic once again. Shifting nervously from on paw to the other, I frantically looked around for anything that could help. No matter how hard I thought, though, I couldn't come up with anything. It felt like I was trying to figure out how to pull a rabbit out of a hat… _"Wait… that's it!"_ With a last-ditch effort and reaching deep inside myself for that force I felt earlier, I spun around and started furiously digging into the dirt and throwing it in the eevee's direction. A dust cloud began to form between the two of us and spread all the way to the rock in the center of the clearing.

With a Cheshire grin, Eve saw my latest ploy and knew she was going to be victorious. "Sorry, but that's just not going to work. Even with your improvised smokescreen, there's literally no way for me to miss you from this close of a distance. Don't worry, though, I'll try not to hit you too hard." She stated proudly until a stray dirt-clog smacked her right in the face causing her to wipe eyes and fix a steely glare at the silhouette in the dust cloud. Feeling much less sympathetic and with her attack at full power, she dug her paws into the ground ready to unleash it. "Alright! You asked for it! Let's finish this!" She yelled while putting everything she had behind the attack and launched her bombardment on everything in and around the cloud in front of her. Smirking at the devastation she was causing, she watched as a trio of stars homed in on the zorua and slammed into him. Her smirk faltered, though, as the figure seemed unphased by the assault and wasn't even moved by the direct impact. She watched in bewilderment as the silhouette began to flicker and then completely dissipate while the dust cloud hung heavily in the air. She didn't get to contemplate what just happened for very long, though, as I appeared off to her side from behind the rock.

Seeing my illusion fade, she only caught a glimpse of me as I launched my sneak attack through the cloud and charged wildly at her while digging into the last bit of my reserves. I felt my body be engulfed by dark energy as I built up speed and rammed into her with everything I had. I actually ended up hitting her with enough force that we almost soared all the way to the tree line. Trying to capitalize on my advantage and before we lost all our momentum, I used what little energy I had left to dig my paws into the ground and grabbed onto the nap of her neck with my mouth. I then spun and used the change in direction to throw her forcefully into one of thick oak trees lining the clearing. Panting heavily and with my forelegs giving out beneath me, I watched as the eevee slammed face-first into the tree with her legs splayed in all directions. She stuck there comically to the tree for a solid second before finally peeling away and falling limply to the ground with a dull thud. I continued watching her body with an exhausted expression until my brain finally caught up with everything that had just happened, and I broke out into huge grin of disbelief.

"I… I won? I won. Ha! I won! I can't believe that actually worked! Take that you furry psychopath!" I exclaimed with elation as I reveled in my victory. Although, my celebration was cut short as Dustin decided to pipe in once again.

"Great job, Eve! He should be weak enough now. Gooooo pokéball!" He yelled aloud as my blood turned to ice and I felt my pupils reduce to pinpricks. In all the excitement of fighting for my life, I had totally forgotten the whole reason they were battling me to begin with. As time slowed down, I looked over to Dustin to see his outstretched hand releasing a new, shiny red and white pokéball perfectly arching right towards me. I then looked back to the eevee splayed out on the ground before me, and despite the amount of pain and fatigue she must have been feeling, I saw her manage the faintest and most shit-eating grin I've ever seen. I felt my heart beat once… then twice. With no other options, I screwed my eyes shut and steeled myself to try and fight the capture if at all possible. It looked like a normal pokéball, so I still had a chance, even if it was rather slim one as I was barely holding on to consciousness as it was.

Thankfully, I never had to find out what would have happened as a strong, nearly deafening, gust of wind picked up from overhead. Splaying my ears back and opening my eyes, I glanced to where the pokéball should have been only to see it reverse its trajectory back towards Dustin and slam into his face. I saw him fall on his ass and grab his nose in pain, and then, the next thing I knew, I felt something grip me around my midsection as I very quickly ascended off the ground. Before I could shut my eyes from the vomit-inducing sight of the clearing becoming smaller and smaller, I saw the trainer grab something from his backpack and hurry over to his downed eevee. With my eyes firmly shut again, I began to take deep breaths while trying to stop my guts from being expelled out of my body until I felt my ascent slowly level off. Thinking that I would be fine as long as I didn't look down, I looked up to my savior before opening my eyes once again.

Breezeway was looking down at me with a proud smile as we flew above the forest canopy towards the south. "Ha! You put on a hell of a show there, kid. For a minute there, I didn't think you were going to pull it off." He boasted. Seeing my less than pleased expression at his comment, he continued with his far too enthusiastic babbling. "What? You didn't think I was going to actually leave you all high and dry out there did you, Blue? If things had started getting out of hand, I would've swooped in to stop it." He reassured me. Not having the energy to retort, I leveled a stare off to the horizon as I felt my body starting to go limp in his grasp. "You actually held your own quite well out there, especially for someone who's never battled before. You've got good instincts, kid. I'm sure they'll serve you well here." All I could do was groan as I felt completely drained and tried to ignore the crazy old bird carrying me. It seemed he was content with travelling in silence, though, and I began to focus on the sunrise peaking over the distant mountain tops laid out in front of me. Not having the energy to properly appreciate the view, I could feel darkness creeping in on my mind once again. Without hesitation, I welcomed it with open arms and hoped that it would take me away from this place as a final thought crossed my mind, and I felt my eyes close. _"What could I have __pos__s__ibly done to deserve __this…"_


	2. Chapter 2

Well guys, it took a month and a half, but here's another chapter. Things are getting busy so it might be a hot minute before I post another one. My excuses are (in no particular order): school, Netflix, life in general, Fallout 4, poor time-management, and life in specific situations. If you like the chapter, hate it, don't really have any particular feelings for it, or think I should just light my laptop on fire and throw it off a cliff, feel free to let me know what you think.

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**Chapter 2**

I could feel my consciousness slowly coming back to me as I lazily rolled over in my bed and tried to bury myself back under its warm confines. I smiled as I basked in the softness of my pillow and thought about that rollercoaster of a dream I had last night.

"_Woah, that sure was crazy. I don't think I've had a Pokémon-themed dream since grade school, and I don't remember it being nearly as… detailed as that one was. I even feel exhausted like I really did just get done fighting for my life." _I thought as fatigue and soreness seemed to radiate from every part of my being._ "*sigh* But, that's all over now, and I'm back in my wonderfully average bed, in my wonderfully average apartment, in my wonderfully average life without a noctowl or an eevee in sight." _I sighed contentedly and pushed myself deeper into the bed as I felt my body relax and start to doze off again. I took a final deep breath and noticed a faint smell drifting through the mess of blankets.

Perking up a bit, I sniffed at the air more intently and was greeted with the tantalizing aroma of roasted fish that made my mouth start to water. _"Mmmmmmhhh, that smells good. It's been a while since I had fish. Come to think of it, it was probably the last time I went cam-, wait, why is my roommate cooking fish for breakfast?" _I thought perplexed. My answer came abruptly as I was interrupted by an obnoxiously loud growl from my stomach and realized that I was **ravenous**. _"Hahaha, whoops. Looks like I slept in all the way to lunch (or maybe even dinner). Guess that means I missed all my classes today, too… damn. Oh well, one day won't kill me, and after that dream, I feel like I need to take it easy anyway."_

With my grogginess quickly melting away and being replaced by hunger, I took a few more quick whiffs of air and began to move the blankets off myself. However, the task was being much more difficult than it should have been for some reason, and my thoughts returned to my prospective lunch.

"_Huh, the guy's usually a lousy cook, but he's got it smelling exactly like how I cooked it whenever I went camping. It smells like he even used the same seasonings, too. Heck, there's even the faintest hint of wood… smoke…"_ My inner monologue stopped, and my motions slowed as I pictured our lone electric stovetop and the distinct lack of a fireplace anywhere in the apartment.

I tensed as I felt my heart begin to beat much faster, and my mind raced to reach its inevitable conclusion. My genius of a roommate had somehow caught the kitchen on fire while trying to cook... again.

With renewed vigor and slight panic, I began frantically kicking the blankets off and rolled over the side of the bed. Landing hard, my eyes shot open as I began pushing myself to my feet only for me to stop before I barely even started. I looked to the ground and saw, well… ground… as in the dirt variety, along with two light blue paws. Thinking back to my dream and feeling a lump forming in my gut, I cautiously finished standing up and scanned my surroundings. This was definitely not my bedroom.

The room I had woken up in was a bit more spacious than my own and didn't have any of my personal effects. The floor and walls looked like they were made of hard, compact earth with only a single opening off to the side that looked like a doorway. It was mostly barren of furniture with the only exception being a desk and a fur-covered bed that looked custom made for a someone of my size. There was also an ornate wooden chest huddled up against a wall near the bed. Speaking of walls, they at least had a little more life to them. They featured an assortment of colorful paintings depicting various nature scenes. The one I was currently looking at was a particularly beautiful mountain themed one which hung above the bed. Against the wall opposite of me, the wooden desk sat mostly empty and seemed to serve the sole purpose of collecting dust.

Deciding that I had seen everything there was to see, I turned my attention to the one thing I hadn't really investigated, yet. I slowly twisted my head around and looked at the furry body that I knew was mine and thought about my 'dream'.

"_It… wasn't a dream. That was all real. It is __**still**__ real. I am an actual pokémon. I did battle an actual eevee. And I was actually brought to some place called Pokémon Village by a noctowl."_ Trying to remain calm and process all that again,I took a few deep breaths and relaxed my thoughts as I stared at my tail. It was moving at a languid pace back and forth like a metronome, and I quickly found myself entranced by its movements.

"Ah, I thought I heard you get up. We were beginning to think you would sleep straight through lunch." Startled, I jerked my head back to the room's opening. I saw the head of a zoroark peaking over the side as she brought the rest of her body into view. Due to her height, I had to sit down to get a good look at her. I noted that while she looked mostly like how I remember them from the show, she wore a satchel at her side and had a distinctly more… feminine and human appearance than I would have expected. I'm not sure how to describe it other than that the extra fluff on her chest and the curve in her hips made me instantly recognize her as a female. She was actually sort of nice to look at.

"_Wait, what? Oh God, am I physically attracted to her?!"_ I thought with some alarm and slight disgust. _"No, that can't be right. I mean, she's not even human! No, I'm just making curious scientific observations about the possibility for sexual dimorphism in certain pokémon species. Yeah, just scientific observations."_ I consoled myself.

Before my lizard brain could start whispering sweet nothings in my ear, I noticed her looking at me with a raised eyebrow as I hadn't responded yet and was just staring at her. "You okay? You look like a pumpkaboo just jumped out at you." She said inquisitively as she leaned against the earthen opening.

Shaking my head out of my thoughts and back to reality, I looked back up at her with a slightly embarrassed expression. "Oh, uhh, sorry. I just wasn't expecting to wake up here… or see you for that matter." I said before realizing that that may have sounded a bit rude. "No offense or anything. The bed was really comfortable, and it's been a while since I've woken up to see such a beautiful w- *cough**cough* er, uhh, landscape painting." I finished hurriedly and pointed to the picture above the bed. I quickly shut my mouth with a strained smile, so I wouldn't say anything really stupid. _"Nope, nope, nope. We're not even gonna think about that. Just focus on surviving right now, brain."_

At my near faux pas, her expression became more incredulous as she stopped leaning against the doorway and looked at me more closely. "What are you talking about? Breeze should hav-" She stopped mid-sentence as a look of realization fell over her before she let out an exasperated sigh and slumped a bit. "Wait, let me guess. Ol' Breezy didn't tell you where he was going to drop you off at, or who you would be staying with?" She asked in a tone that wasn't really a question and did nothing to belie her slight annoyance with the situation.

"Ha-ha, not really, no. He mentioned that I would be sharing a home with somebody and that a zoroark could teach me a few things about the forest, but that's it. In his defense, though, I did pass out pretty quickly after the battle, and he didn't have a whole lot of time to go over the specifics with me."

Crossing her arms, she let out huff and pinched the bridge of her muzzle while muttering to herself. "I swear, that crazy old bird is getting worse with age. He just dumps him off here without even telling him anything and then flies off to do who knows what."

After finishing her grumbling, she returned her attention back to me. "Well, nothing for it now. My name is Whisper, by the way, and Breezy already told me that your name was Blue, right?"

At a quick nod, she let out a mild scoff and continued. "Ha, I thought he was pulling my leg with that one. Anyway, speaking of the battle, good on you for showing that eevee and her trainer a lesson. Although, it looked like she got some good hits on you when Breezy brought you in here." She stated with a mild touch of pride and concern. "We had Abby come by earlier and heal some of the nastier scrapes and bruises that weren't going to fade while you slept. She also left one of her special concoctions for you to drink before lunch that's supposed to finish getting you back on your feet."

Seeing my questioning gaze and before I could even ask, she decided to expand on who that was exactly. "Abby is a gothorita that acts as the town medic and local mad chemist. I've known her all my life, and she's a good gal. She's just a bit… eccentric about things. You'll know her when you meet her." She said while reaching in her bag and producing a small vial of purplish-blue liquid before handing it to me.

"Fair warning. Abby knows her stuff and if she says this will get you up and going again, then it will. She usually prefers function over form though so don't expect it to taste good."

Thankfully, the bottle was small enough for me to grip, and I managed not to spill any as I reached out and brought it closer for inspection. However, I quickly scrunched my muzzle and held it further away as the mixture's odor hit my nose. It was… stout for lack of a better word and with a hint of berries. It honestly reminded me more of something that belonged under a vent hood than actual medicine.

"_Ugh, this is probably going to taste as bad as it smells, too. Better just down it and get it over with." _I thought sourly before turning it up and trying not to let any of its contents hit my tongue. I failed tragically as the liquid was thicker than I thought and dragged itself across my taste buds. I was, however, surprised to find that I had been wrong in my original assumption. It tasted _much_ _worse_ than it smelled.

Gagging as I felt the toxin invade my body and trying not to puke, I heard Whisper stifling her laughter at what would assuredly be my demise. "Pfft. Hahahaha! Yeah, I remember the first time I drank one of her potions. That had been one wild night. Come to think of it, that was actually the night I met Pierce during one of the festivals the village was hosting that year." Seeing that I was busy trying to wipe off my taste buds and couldn't respond, she continued. "Pierce is my husband if you were wondering, and he's also the one who did the paintings in here and pretty much all the other ones you'll see in the village. The one I commissioned from him that night is still my favorite, though."

Giving up on scraping off my tongue and finally able to use my mouth again, I looked up to see her staring wistfully at one of the paintings. "Ugh, yeah tha- *urp* -sure sounds romantic and all, but couldn't your friend have at least flavored her 'concoction' with something besides death?"

"Trust me, I've asked her the same thing. Her response is always the same 'But Whispy, if I make them taste good then people will always be asking for them, and I'll never have time for my experiments'." She mimed somewhat mockingly while taking back the now empty vial. "So yeah, I'm not expecting her to come out with a new bubblegum flavored one anytime soon."

Despite the foul taste that still lingered in my mouth, my stomach took the opportunity to remind me that I hadn't eaten for at least the better part of a day and broke the silence. Smirking at the sound and my slightly visible discomfort, she turned back with a small laugh to what I guessed was a hallway. "Ha, I think I agree. No point in delaying lunch any longer, and you'll probably want something to wash down the aftertaste, too." She said as she beckoned me to follow. "Pierce, had to go to the river to check up on something, so you won't see him until later tonight. However, you can still meet my daughter, Sonata."

Following her down the hall, I saw more paintings decorating the walls and two more entrances that branched off to my left and two to the right. While the first three had dark curtains draped over them, the last one was left uncovered. Before we walked past it, I was able to make out what looked like a master bedroom with some basic furnishings along with an easel and painting supplies propped up in the corner.

We then entered a larger atrium style room that had a dome-like ceiling with paned skylights letting in the afternoon sun. It seemed to act as a living area/workspace with another entryway further in front of us. It was a fairly humble abode with a dormant fireplace tucked in the corner on my right surrounded by some disheveled furniture. To my left, was a wooden front door with large yellow tinted bay windows on either side of it. However, from my angle, the only thing I could glean from the outside world was some bright yellowish-blue sky dotted with a few clouds. I did get a glimpse of a mismatched flock of flying-type pokémon, though, so there's that.

Against one of the walls near the entrance, there was bookshelf next to a paper-covered workbench that had an over-flowing waste basket underneath it. The workbench held various sculpting instruments and a few wood working tools along with some unfinished projects. I wouldn't call them masterpieces in-progress, but it was clear that a certain level of skill and experience had been used in their creation. On the other side of the room, there was a table that had been partially cleared off and had what looked like an unfinished game of checkers on it. Red seemed to be losing quite badly.

"Don't mind the clutter, Blue. I normally run a tighter ship, but this morning has been a little more hectic than usual."

I wouldn't have exactly called it messy or cluttered, but I decided not to comment and just nodded as we went through the dug-out entryway and made our way into a kitchen area. As we entered, my attention was quickly drawn to the source of the smell that had awoken me. Nestled against the far wall, an older rustic-looking wood stove sat with two plates of that heavenly fish on the counter next to it.

Shifting my attention further to the side, I saw a low sitting table with four cushions around it. On one of those cushions sat an adorable dark grey fox. She was idly munching on the fish in her paw as she eyed my approach warily. Besides a different coat color, she also had a black mane and a deep red tuft of fur on her head that matched her eyebrows. It was hard to tell with her sitting down, but she looked to be about the same size as me.

"_Huh, so that's what I look like. Well, with blue and brown instead of red and grey anyways." _I mused as I continued to look her over. _"Yeah, the boys at Pokémon HQ knew exactly what they were doing when they designed her. They probably mass produced the plushies before they ever even thought about releasing her generation to the public. She's just too damn cute."_ I reasoned while noting how fluffy she looked. _"I wonder how much trouble I would be in if I 'accidently' pet her?" M_oving my gaze back to hers, I hesitated in my step as she apparently hadn't been appreciating my observations and was giving me an icy glare. _"Probably best not to find out today then." _

I put on my most sincere smile and got ready to try and smooth things over before she got the wrong idea as we reached the table. However, before I could correct my poor first impression, Whisper was already motioning me to take a seat across from Sonata which only made the zorua's frown deepen. "Go ahead and take a seat, Blue. I'll get you some water and bring your plate over." She said while going to one of those old timey ice boxes and filling three cups from a chilled pitcher inside. "And what did I tell you about waiting on us, Sonata? Also, be nice. Until Construction can make him a place to stay, Blue is our guest, and I expect you to treat him as such." She chided as she brought us our waters and the two plates.

I hastily took my cup and tried to rinse out the still lingering taste from the earlier potion, but it seemed to cling to every surface in my mouth. Making no progress with the water, I grabbed one of the fish and desperately took a bite out of it hoping that the seasonings would penetrate the now filmy coating on my tongue. Carefully avoiding the bones and chewing slowly, I swallowed and stared at the previously aquatic animal. Nothing, just more of that poison, albeit milder than at first. Disappointed with my tainted palate, I looked back up at my two hosts.

Sonata was watching me incredulously before she turned toward Whisper with a more apologetic look. "Sorry Mom, but we've been waiting on him forever already. I was practically wasting away over here!" She exclaimed somewhat dramatically as she rose on her haunches and pointed to her completely nonvisible ribcage. She then pointed her fish at me accusingly with a grimace. "Besides, **he** was the one leering at **me**, and I know you saw that. Whose side are you even on here, Mom?!" She exclaimed before returning her fish to her plate and causing Whisper to frown. "And I still don't understand why we got stuck with him in the first place either."

"There are no sides, Sonata. He's just feeling a little overwhelmed right now so cut him some slack. As for why, Breezeway said he needed a place to stay and for someone to show him the ropes around here. We have your brother's old room going unused, and last I checked, your father and I have plenty of experience with zorua. If he's going to stay in the village, then we'll need to show him that we're a community and that we all help each other." She explained before pausing to take a bite of her own fish. "Also, because we said he could stay here, and that's the end of discussion."

Sonata, clearly not happy with that answer, briefly returned her glare to me before silently focusing back on her food. Still feeling hungry myself, I followed suit and opted to let her cool off a bit before trying to patch things up.

"_Well… that could have gone better. However, I don't think she really wanted me here to begin with, so I was kind of starting out on the back foot with her anyway. I mean, I wasn't expecting her to roll out the red carpet or anything, but I was hoping for something a little warmer than that."_

Glancing up, I noted that the tension in the air was still pretty strong as Sonata kept her eyes glued on her plate while Whisper chewed her food thoughtfully. "*sigh* _At least Whisper seems to tolerate and care about me, even if it is probably more out of maternal instinct than anything else. Hopefully, this Pierce guy will give me the same chance, and they'll help me get my footing here. If I'm lucky and play my cards right, I just might have a chance at surviving long enough to find a way out and back home."_

Breaking me from my thoughts, Whisper decided to be the first one to speak and caught her daughter's attention. "You know, Sonata. He'll also need some help learning to work with the illusion around the village. Which, by the way, I've decided is going to be your responsibility whenever we get done with our jobs in the evening."

"What!? Bu- but, that's not-"

"Ah! No buts. Consider it a punishment for eating without everyone seated again and for being rude earlier. Besides, it might take them a while before they can get around to digging something out for him. I suggest you take the opportunity to try and make a new friend, or, at the very least, learn to live with him. He will be staying here for the foreseeable future, and that's that." Whisper admonished with finality before letting out a silent sigh. "Now, apologize for earlier and say hello."

With a grimace, Sonata looked back to me and then back to Whisper who held her gaze for several seconds. "Ugh, fine." Sonata relented sharply before giving me a levelled look. "Hi, I'm Midnight Sonata, but everyone just calls me Sonata. Sorry for the cold shoulder, but I'm not a big fan of uninvit-" she was interrupted by a growl coming from Whisper that made her rethink her words, "-of surprise guests first thing in the morning." She finished with a strained expression before thinking and adding one more thing. "And I really don't like strangers staring at me."

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that. I'm just not used to seeing another zorua or zoroark. In fact, you two are the first ones I've ever seen. Well, not counting myself of course." I apologized while extending out my paw. "Also, you can call me Blue."

She stared at my paw like I had just used it to kick her puppy but otherwise made no move to reciprocate the gesture. "Hmph. I already gathered that your name was Blue, but what do you mean, 'You've never seen another zorua or zoroark before'? What part of the forest have you been living in where you didn't occasionally bump into another family or even your own for that matter?" She asked suspiciously as I brought my paw back to myself. "You're at least as old as me, so even if you lived as a hermit, you should have ran into some others by now."

"Well, my parents weren't zoroarks, and I'm not actually from this forest, either. This is kind of my first day here."

"Your first day? So, where exactly did you come from then? And what were your parents? Were you adopted or something?"

Clearing my throat and hawing for time, I groaned inwardly and tried to think of a good answer for that. _"Ugh. Why did I just tell them that? I haven't even had time to stop and come up with a believable story, yet. I obviously can't tell them the whole truth, or they'll think I'm either crazy or just flat out lying. *sigh* I guess I better keep trying to be as vague as possible. If they pry too much, I can just say its personal and hope they drop it." _I concluded as Sonata began looking impatient at my stalling.

"Weeeellll… I, um, wasn't raised by pokémon actually. I've grown up around humans ever since I was born, and they've always treated me well. I haven't interacted much with other pokémon either, so almost everything here is new to me." I said carefully while gauging their reactions. Sonata didn't really seem phased besides looking at me a bit oddly, but Whisper, surprisingly, looked very displeased with my answer for a moment before adopting a more neutral expression.

"As for where I'm from, that is… a bit harder to explain. I just woke up in the forest this morning with a killer headache and with no idea of how I got there. I've never heard of the Winding Woods, this village, or Snowbelle City, so it's probably safe to say that I'm a long way from home. And to be honest, I'm not really sure of how to get back yet either." Sonata's stare seemed to intensify by a magnitude and was starting to make me shift uncomfortably on the cushion as she scoffed at me.

"Pfft. You just woke up here? Without any recollection of how that happened? And you've never heard of one of the most recognizable cities in Kalos?" She said flatly and with absolutely no sympathy for my situation. "You'll have to forgive me if I find that hard to believe."

"Breezeway said he was telling the truth about not knowing where he is or how he got here, Sonata." Whisper curtly interjected. "The old bird might be off his rocker, but he usually knows when someone is lying. Something I believe you're familiar with if I recall a certain snorlax incident correctly." For some reason this made Sonata's ears fold back as she lowered her head. "And then there was the time when you and Firelight nearly burned down the mess hall." Whisper grinned as her daughter's cheeks flushed, and she covered her face in her paws. "You also managed to put a hole through the roof of the stockpile once after you thought you could be part flying-type and had Shank build you the 'Zorua Launcher Mark II'. You're lucky that the mareep and wooloo got haircuts the day before, or you would've had much more than just a dislocated shoulder and a broken leg. I still cannot believe he built you that thing, let alone a second one after the first broke." She recalled with no small amount of agitation before returning to ribbing her daughter. "Then there was that time you thought it would be funny to swap Louie's conditioner with green hair dye. Or that other time when you and Tabbi took all of the White Domnia flowers Abby had been saving and-" Sonata apparently had enough as she burst upwards frantically waving at Whisper.

"Mom! Stop! I get the picture. Breezeway found out what happened each time, and he's caught me in every lie I've ever told him. Please just stop talking about all that stuff! It's ancient history, so let's just forget that those things ever happened." Seeing her mother smirking but otherwise staying silent, Sonata took a few seconds to compose herself and turned back to me.

"Well, at least your name makes sense now. Only a human would name you something like 'Blue'." She commented lowly while pursing her lips contemplatively.

"Alright, so let's say you're telling the truth. Let's say you really are some poor lost soul who has no idea where he is or how to get back home. The way I see it, that leaves you with two realistic options for how you got here. A) You hit your head while exploring the forest and have a bad case of amnesia, and your human 'family' is somewhere in Snowbelle. Which means that sooner or later someone's going to come looking for you. And, with any luck, you'll be out of here and back with them in no time. Or B) You pissed off a really powerful psychic who was able to manipulate your memories, and you're going to end up being nothing but trouble for us." She said crossly causing me to sigh. Her skepticism is probably justified, but right now, it's just plain annoying.

"Look, Sonata. I know this entire situation sucks, and I'm sorry you're having to deal with some random guy getting dumped on your doorstep. If I could have done anything to prevent this, trust me, I would have. Unfortunately, I didn't get that option, and I'm willing to bet that I'm not going anywhere for a while. So, can you please just try to work with me here?" I somewhat begrudgingly pleaded with her. I shouldn't have to say any of this, but if I don't make an attempt at nipping this in the bud now, we'll just end up being at each other's throats most of the time later.

She at least seemed to be considering my words as she continued to stare through me for several seconds. "Hmph, we'll see. But I'll be keeping an eye on you, so you better just have a concussion and be someone's lost pet."

"Thanks. I'll, uh, take that as considerate optimism for my eventual return home. Until that happens though, I promise not to impose too much on you guys and pitch in where I can. Oh, and no more staring either. Again, sorry about that. Breezeway didn't get a chance to tell me much about where I would be staying, and I wasn't really expecting to wake up here." I assured her with a hopeful smile and extended my paw back to her. "So, we good?"

Staring at my outstretched paw with much less contempt than last time, she finally relented with a sigh and bumped hers against mine. "Maybe. Neither of us have much of a choice here, so I'll give you a shot. But, if you blow it this time, you won't get another." She warned as she glanced over at Whisper to see her disapproving gaze. "What? I said I'd give him a chance. I promise nothing about us getting along or me trusting him."

Sighing, Whisper got up and began collecting the empty plates and cups. "I guess that's as good as I can honestly expect. Just don't forget to start teaching him about connecting to the illusion later."

* * *

After tidying up the kitchen, we made our way back to the living room. Sonata sauntered off to the couch and picked up a book that had been resting on the coffee table before jumping up and getting comfortable. Not really sure about what I should do next, I looked up to Whisper.

"Well Blue, I would offer to show you the den, but you've already seen most of it. The first room on the left down the hallway has the bathroom, and the two rooms on the right are the master bedroom and Sonata's room." Whisper said motioning back down the hall as Sonata peeked over the couch.

"And, just in case I have to tell you Blue, you better not be going in there unless I give you express permission to." Sonata warned.

"No worries, I really didn't plan on it."

With a harrumph, she went back to her reading. _"Wow, she is really paranoid about me for some reason. Surely me looking at her for slightly too long didn't set her off. I wonder what her deal is. Then again, there might not be a good reason for it, and even if there was, I doubt she'd tell me... Well, no point in worrying about that right now. I should probably learn some more about the village and ask for a tour later."_

"So, Whisper, you mentioned you had a job here earlier. What exactly do you do?" I asked turning towards her as she straightened up the workbench.

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Sonata and I are primarily part of Foraging. Officially, I'm head of 'foreign acquisitions', which is just a fancy way of saying that I'm in charge of getting any supplies we need for the village that we can't make ourselves. Usually, that entails purchasing or *ahem* responsibly reappropriating human tech from Snowbelle, but we also trade with other pokémon settlements from time to time. However, it's been a little slow lately, so I've been mostly coordinating our outside assets while pitching in with the field groups that go out into the forest. It comes in handy to have someone that can make herself look like a dragonite and scare off anything that could give us trouble." She explained without looking up from her task.

All of a sudden, a large shadow passed over me causing me to look back and flinch. Behind me, there was a very imposing seven-foot yellow dragon that I recognized all too well, and it looked **pissed**. Its eyes were filled with nothing but hate as purplish flames engulfed its maw and erupted towards me.

"_I know that thing is just an illusion, but holy crap this is terrifying!" _I internally screamed and screwed my eyes shut out of instinct. After a second of not feeling anything, I opened my eyes to see Sonata looking over the couch with satisfaction as she lightly panted.

"No illusions in the den, Sonata. Unless, of course, you want me to have you reassigned with Cap and cleaning out toilets for a few days." Whisper said with slight annoyance at her daughter's antics. "And don't be so wasteful on something that flashy. You could have gotten away with using a lot less detail."

"*huff**huff* Worth it, though. The look on your face was priceless, Blue. If only I had a camera." Sonata lamented and dropped back down to the couch cushion. Steadying myself, I looked back over to Whisper to see her moving towards a nearby cabinet with an armful of tools.

"Don't mind her too much, Blue. She doesn't normally act like this, and I think she'll just need a little time to get used to you."

"Right. Hopefully sooner rather than later if I don't want to fall over from a heart attack. I knew it wasn't real, but that was still really intense. Is that something all of the other zorua are able to do or just her?" I asked genuinely curious about our limitations. Whisper briefly paused as she thought about my question.

"Hmm, I'll admit. That was fairly impressive considering she hasn't evolved yet, but she also has plenty of practice from foraging with the others in the forest. Most zorua her age could probably make something similar, but they wouldn't be good for much else afterwards." She said as she closed the cabinet and made her way over to me. "In fact, I can guarantee that that took quite a bit more out of her than she's letting on. Making a projection like that is a lot harder than using yourself as a base and molding the illusion around your own body and movements. Like so."

Even staring straight at her, I nearly missed the moment when the air around her shimmered and her form became blurred with green and white. Blinking to refocus my eyes, I was a little stunned at seeing a gardevoir standing in the same spot where Whisper had been in. From every angle I looked at her, the façade was perfect, and I would have never guessed that it wasn't real. Giggling at my expression, Whisper did a little curtsey causing her long white dress to flow around her.

"Wow, that's incredible! You even sound different, too. But, how exactly does that work if it's just an illusion?"

"With enough practice and some natural talent, we can manipulate a few of the other senses such as hearing, touch, and even smell. Although, sight is definitely the easiest and is usually the first thing zorua learn to do. Just bear in mind that the more complex you make an illusion the harder it will be to keep it from falling apart and the more energy you'll use to keep it going. For something like this, I can keep it up indefinitely as long as I don't do anything too crazy." She helpfully informed me as I continued walking around her trying to find a fault in her disguise.

Getting brave, I reached out to touch her dress only for my paw to phase through it completely. The part of the dress I tried to touch shimmered briefly, but the illusion held strong as she smirked and adjusted herself.

"Hmmm, alright. Now, try that again, Blue." She said with a smile. Doing as she commanded, I reached for the dress again and felt actual resistance this time. Running my paw across it, I noted that it even felt like silk or maybe some other kind of smooth fabric.

In the blink of an eye, the dress disappeared, and Whisper willfully returned to normal. I then belatedly realized that I was petting the end of her ridiculously long ponytail. I quickly jerked my paw back and put some respectful distance between the two of us.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that. Didn't mean to get in your personal space or anything."

"Nah, its fine, Blue. Besides, it was a good learning opportunity." She reassured me before Sonata chimed in from the couch again.

"Yeah, but you'd think that he would have figured some of that out by now even if he's never met another of his kind before. Don't you know anything about what you can do, Blue?"

"I didn't even know what I was until that trainer used his pokédex on me earlier this morning." I responded flatly leaving Sonata looking stunned.

"…Wow. Just, wow. How have you managed to make it this far?"

"That's a good question. One that I've been asking myself more frequently as of late."

"Pfft. Whatever." She commented dismissively before looking back to Whisper. "When did you say that Breezy was going to get here, Mom?"

"He said he would come by around lunch to check on him, but who knows with that bird. We might not see him until noon tomorrow."

With impeccable timing and possibly from some kind of divine intervention, a loud pair of wing flaps could be heard from the front of the home as a large avian landed on the doorstep. Whisper was already moving to open the door as the first few knocks came and revealed that the visitor was indeed a familiar looking elderly owl.

"Ah, Whisper. I hope I'm not intruding on anything."

"No, not at all, Breezy. Please come in. Blue woke up just before lunch, and we've already eaten. Would you like me to warm you up something?" She offered while closing the door behind him.

"Thank you, dear, but no. I ate before I came over, which is one of the reasons I'm running a little behind schedule."

"Anything wrong?"

"No, no. Nothing to worry yourself over." Breezeway said while waving off her concern. "Now, where is our newest addition?"

His answer was pretty immediate as I was still standing in the middle of the living room. "Ah, there you are, Blue. It's good to see that you're up and about again." He said warmly while walking over to me and bringing me into an embrace. "How are you feeling, kiddo? I trust that Whisper already fetched Abby to take a look at you after I brought you in."

"Yeah, she left me some kind of potion that I'm pretty sure has done permanent damage to my taste buds, but I do actually feel like I have more energy now." I explained while noting for the first time that I wasn't nearly as sluggish as when I woke up.

"Hmm, yes, the taste is usually an unfortunate side effect of her creations and certainly leaves much to be desired. It should subside in a few hours. Personally, I've been asking her to come up with something milder for my arthritis, but it seems my suggestions always fall on deaf ears." He said with a ruffle of his feathers. "Nonetheless, we should stop by her home along the way and give her our thanks. Her potions are nothing else if not effective."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, and I wouldn't mind meeting her. But, uh, along our way to where, exactly?" I questioned as Breezeway seemed somewhat confused at my ignorance.

"Hmm? Oh. Pardon me, I didn't tell you this morning that I would be taking him on a tour of the village after lunch did I, Whisper?"

"No, I think you left that part out, actually. In fact, there are a couple of things I would like to discuss with you later." Whisper said with a slight edge in her voice.

"Oh? If you're worried about providing for him, I can promise you that we'll extend any extra resources you'll need while he's staying in your care."

"Thank you, Breezeway, but that wasn't what I was referring to. It's nothing too serious, so don't worry about it. We can talk about it later." Whisper reassured him while turning to address her daughter. "Would you mind going with them, Sonata? If they're going by Abby's, I would like you to give her back her vial. You know how moody she gets if we don't return them."

"*sigh* Alright, I wasn't going to get to finish this book anyway." Sonata lamented before hoping off the couch and donning a pair of makeshift saddle bags that I hadn't noticed before.

"That won't be an issue will it, Breezy?" Whisper asked while passing the bottle to Sonata.

"Ha! Of course not! The more the merrier as they say. Come along, you two. It's high time you got to take a gander at our little slice of paradise, Blue." Opening the door, he motioned us out and looked back toward the den's matriarch. "Don't worry, Whisper. I'll have them back in time for dinner." He said with the utmost confidence as he closed the door behind the three of them.

Whisper watched from the window as the trio walked down the front steps and sighed as she felt a migraine coming on. "And to think, I almost had a weekend off for once." She briefly bemoaned with a pout before heading for the back entrance with newfound determination. "Better get in touch with Overwatch and see if we can find out some more about our guest and track down his trainers. I am **very** curious as to how they would have gotten ahold of a zorua egg in the first place."

* * *

Following Breezeway outside, I was momentarily blinded by the bright midday sun. After blinking away the spots in my vision, I was greeted with something right out of a fairy tale. All around me were lush green plains and hills with homes built into them. Each home was different and seemed to have its own personality with some having a more modern vibe while others tried to blend in with the nature around them. Some of them even had solar panels mounted on top of their grassy knolls, and it seemed like most of their residents were out enjoying the early spring afternoon. Pokémon of all shapes, sizes, and species could be seen enjoying themselves. Most were either lounging around in the sun and chatting or playing in the grass and wildflowers that surrounded the paths connecting each home to a well-trodden dirt road that snaked down the hillside. Sans the panels and pokémon, the whole scene was very reminiscent of the Shire from the Lord of the Rings.

Some of the pokémon I couldn't recognize but others at least held some familiarity. Like that normal castform, who was floating down from the sky to a kecleon that was filling up a water pail at a hand-pump well inside his garden. Right as the kecleon finished, the castform jumped into the bucket and soaked up its contents. Moving quickly, the chameleon tried to catch the thief but wasn't fast enough as the now water-type castform flew up in the air laughing mischievously.

"DANG, NABITT! GIT BACK DOWN 'ERE YA GOOD FOR NOTHING VARMINT AN' GIVE ME BACK THAT WATER!" He hollered as he literally turned multiple shades of red. The pseudo cloud partially fulfilled his request as it emptied a deluge of water onto him. Shaking with rage and dripping wet, he watched as the now normal again castform floated away with laughter and resigned himself to grumpily filling up the pail again.

"Come on, Blue. We don't have all day." Sonata called back to me as her and Breezeway steadfastly ignored the scene and continued walking in the direction of what looked like the town center in the distance.

"Quite the contrary, Miss Sonata. As far as I am aware, none of us have anything scheduled today, and foraging doesn't usually send out groups on Saturdays. Of course, you don't have to accompany us all the way, but I'm sure Blue would appreciate another familiar companion on our little walk. Perhaps you will be able to offer him a more relatable perspective than I can provide." Breezeway suggested as I raced to catch up to them, so I could interject.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, Sonata. I'm sure I'll be fine if it's just me and Breezy."

"*sigh* No, its fine, Blue. Mom wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I went off and did my own thing anyway." She said with exasperation as we passed other pokémon that were busy sending idle acknowledgements to Breezeway. Most of them ignored Sonata, but I seemed to garner some strange looks from a few. Occasionally one would stop to briefly chat with our guide, and Breezeway would introduce me to them. Honestly though, I probably couldn't remember a single one of their names a minute after meeting them.

"As you can see Blue, this is one of the residential districts of the village and is where most of the homes are situated. We have another one next to the river on the west side for pokémon who prefer living closer to the water and another one at the edge of the forest to the north. My roost is in the tallest cedar there if you ever feel like coming by for a visit."

"Sure thing, Breezeway. Once I get settled in, I'll be sure to swing by." I said while giving him a reassuring smile. I did tell him I would listen to some stories after all, and the poor old coot probably doesn't get many visitors in the first place.

"So, Breezeway, what are the solar panels for? I don't exactly see any power lines around here."

"Ah, yes, that is one of our ongoing projects. We don't have the ability or resources for a grid, so to speak, but we have been trying to get as many homes hooked up to a power source as we can. It has been quite the boon for those of us used to the luxury. Unfortunately, some of the parts we need are harder to come by than others, so many dens still go without. I'm not really privy to the specifics, though. That's something Whisper could tell you more about."

"Well, that's sort of convenient, I guess." I said with a bit of relief before turning to the zorua beside me. Maybe I wouldn't be completely roughing it out here like I had assumed. "Hey Sonata, does your house have-"

"Yeah, we do. In fact, you will be very happy to know that we even have an electric water pump connected to some kind of heat pump thing Mom scavenged from Snowbelle's dump. We're the only den in the village without a fire-type to have hot water on tap and a working toilet." She proudly stated which made my grin grow exponentially.

"Perfect! And here I thought I would be taking cold baths and needing a shovel every time I had to go." I gleefully stated before remembering my stay with them was temporary. "I can still come over and use your bathroom after I move out, right?" She just rolled her eyes and ignored my very serious inquiry as we continued walking.

"I wouldn't go getting to used to it, Blue." Breezeway cautioned. "Most of the toilets here are still the old-fashioned kind and have to be *aherm* manually emptied periodically. Besides, Composting wouldn't be able to handle and treat all of the wastewater if every home was on the same system as Whisper's."

"*sigh* I guess that's reasonable, but who's Composting?" I asked causing Breezeway to chuckle.

"Ha-ha. It's not a who, Blue, but a what. Composting is one of the so-called sectors of the village that help keep everything running smoothly. At the moment, there are six in total, and the leader of each one acts as a sort of council member for the village as a whole. Composting is specifically responsible for waste removal and public hygiene. The other sectors are Foraging, Construction, Aquaculture, Agriculture, and Protection. Their primary tasks are fairly self-explanatory, but most of them serve secondary and tertiary roles as well." He explained allowing me a few seconds to digest that.

"Okay, make sense enough. So, I'm guessing you're one of the council members then?"

"No, no. I've been retired for quite some time now. I was part of Foraging back in my youth, but these days I serve in a more unofficial advisory position for the council and occasionally as a part-time tour guide for newcomers." He explained with a wink.

"Hah, alright. So, if I stay here will I get to pick what I do, or will I just be given whatever's available?"

"Not to worry, Blue. There's no shortage of work to be done, so I'm sure you'll be able to get a specific job if you find one that you fancy and have some level of aptitude for it. There is also the option of having your own shop if you know some kind of trade that you can market in the village. As a zorua though, you will also be expected to contribute to the village's illusion, but that's hardly something that requires any direct attention. I'm sure Whisper has already explained it to you. However, I doubt anyone will expect you to start contributing in either fashion until you decide whether or not you'll stay and get your own place."

"Hmm. I'll have to give that some thought and see what I might enjoy doing around here then." I said while thinking about the possibilities of a long-term stay here.

"_Personally, if I end up having to stay here awhile, I would rather have a business and do my own thing, but I can't even begin to think of a way for that to happen right now. That means I'll probably end up working in one of those sectors he mentioned. I've always enjoyed fishing, so I could try that aquaculture thing. However, I'm not sure how that will work if I can't use a fishing pole or a net." _I thought dourly as that meant I wouldn't be able to do one of my favorite past times unless I could figure out how to make do with paws. Shaking myself from those thoughts, I considered my other options.

"_As for the rest of them, I mostly just got lucky with fighting off that eevee, so guard duty probably isn't the best idea. Never was a handy man, so Construction's out. Composting is just a flat no. I doubt 'waste management' is a calling of mine. That leaves Agriculture and Foraging. I'm definitely no stranger to gardening or working in the woods, so both are fairly viable options. Back home, I always seemed to have a green thumb, and notwithstanding my current lack of opposable digits, I should still be able to do basic plant care. Although, I could also go work with Whisper and Sonata. Then I would be able to learn more about the local area and get some practice making illusions." _I continued inwardly debating the points of both until I remembered Breezeway mentioning something about an illusion for the village.

"Hey, Breezeway. Whisper did mention something earlier about Sonata helping me connect to an illusion, but I honestly have no idea what she was talking about. I also kind of forgot to ask her about that after lunch, too."

At my words, Breezeway grew confused, and Sonata decided to fill him in on my predicament. "Apparently, Blue here was raised by humans and has no idea how any of his abilities work." She explained as we weaved our way through a growing current of pokémon going about their day. "The running theory right now is that he's suffering from a traumatic head injury and has amnesia."

"Oh my, I had been worried that he may have hit his head back in the forest. I was quite surprised when I learned that he had never battled before, but I didn't expect his knowledge about himself to be so stunted. Is that true, Blue? Do you really not have any experience using your abilities?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much the long and short of it. Today has been a lot of firsts for me."

"Hmm. Well, I'm sure you'll pull through yet. We'll keep an eye out for any humans looking for a lost zorua, but in the meantime, Whisper, Miss Sonata, and Pierce can get you caught up to speed with the basics of making illusions. You did manage to create a mirage while fighting that eevee after all, so you clearly have the talent for it." He said with confidence.

Sonata then decided to take said confidence and rub it in the dirt. "Pfft. You know I was listening when you told Mom about his battle this morning, right? Considering that he was barely able to make something more than a shadow that failed immediately after being touched, 'talent' might be a bit of a stretch, Breezy. But hey, at least we know you can do something, Blue." She quipped as she turned toward me. She at least had the decency to look somewhat apologetic as I couldn't help but be offended by the barb. She took a second to clear her throat before telling me something that was actually useful.

"*cough**cough* Anyways, what Mom was talking about is the illusion that hides the village from being seen. Disguising our dens is kind of a main perk with being able to make illusions in the first place. The way it would work if we were a single-family den living in the woods is that Mom would decide how it would look and then me and Dad would pitch in to help make it. At that point, we would all be 'connected' to it, and the illusion would draw spirit energy from each of us as needed. The illusion for the village works more or less the same. Although, since you weren't there when it was made, I'll have to show you how to connect with it like I did."

"Okay, I was able to follow all of that except for the 'spirit energy' part."

"Seriously? I figured if there was one thing you would know it would be that." She said while looking at me expectantly. All she got for the trouble was me shrugging my shoulders and looking lost as was becoming the norm. "Ugh, whatever. It's the word the humans came up with to describe the energy we use for battling, making illusions, and other stuff. Personally, I think it's a stupid name." Sonata criticized until a bug bit the back of her ear causing her to yelp.

"OW! What the heck?! It's not even the right season for horse flies, yet!" She wailed as she attempted to swat the incessant pest out of the air. Seeing that Sonata was preoccupied, Breezeway finished her explanation.

"From what other zorua have told me, Blue, connecting to the illusion is a fairly straightforward process, and since we have a number of zoroark families already living here, it doesn't usually require any noticeable effort to maintain. I imagine it will serve as a very good steppingstone in learning to utilize your spirit energy." Breezeway said sasgely while Sonata continued to narrowly miss her attacker. Growing impatient and annoyed, she focused on her prey and struck out at it in a flash with a glowing paw. I watched as a detached pair of insect wings fluttered to the ground.

"Stupid freaking bug." She stared contemptuously at the flittering remains before returning to our conversation. "And that's easy for you to say, Breezy. You're not the one who has to teach him how to do that later."

Breezeway chuckled.

* * *

As we continued walking, our owl guide would occasionally stop to point out a park or some other significant landmark along the road and explain its history in the village. I did my best to listen attentively, but history lessons always did a good job of making me zone out. I very quickly found myself silently nodding along and felt my eyes begin to glaze over as the time seemed to slip by. I didn't feel too bad, though. I could always just come back and explore them later if I really wanted to.

We were still passing homes on either side of us, but things were starting to get more compact as we got closer to the village center. My short stature wasn't doing me any favors as the groups of pokémon became denser and made it difficult to see much beyond the main road. Having so many pokémon towering over me was also starting to make me a bit nervous. Seeing my plight, Breezeway offered to let Sonata and I ride on his shoulders to get a bird's eye view of the place. We both graciously accepted and hoped on. As I rose above the throng of pokémon, I began to hear a very passionate voice somewhere near us.

"Oh, great. He's out today." Sonata derisively commented as she looked in the direction of a raised wooden platform. Standing on top of it, there was a delibird wearing a large pair of bifocals and preaching about something to a small group of gathered pokémon.

"Now now, Miss Sonata. I know Dexter isn't the most well-liked pokémon in town, but he's never done anything wrong or too extreme. We won't discriminate against him just because he's a tad… overzealous for his organization."

"Urgh, I know. I just wish he wouldn't be so loud about it." She complained as she turned to me. "Just don't make eye contact and try to ignore him. He has terrible vision and might not notice us if we-"

"Ah, Mr. Breezeway, it's great to see you again, my dear friend!" The delibird cheerfully called from the platform as he had apparently finished with his speech, and his group was dispersing. Sonata scowled as she mumbled something I couldn't quite make out.

Not wanting to be rude, Breezeway approached him and extended his own greeting, although his sounded a little less genuine than the expressive penguin's. "Yes, it is certainly a pleasure as always, Dexter. I hope you have been well."

"Yes, I certainly have. It is always a great day when I can speak about our future freedom and our destined utopia. You should really come by the meeting hall one of these days, Mr. Breezeway. It would be an absolute joy to have such an admired member of the community amongst us." Adjusting his glasses, he focused on Sonata and I. "Ah, young Sonata, I apologize. I didn't see you there. A good day to you and to you as well young, um…" He paused as he moved his glasses around and tried to get a better look at me. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met before. My name is Dexter, and I am the apostle of the pokémon unification movement here in the village. Who might you be?"

Before I could answer, Breezeway abruptly spoke up for me. "This is Blue. He's new, and I was just showing him around the village for his first day here. Speaking of which, we are on a tight schedule, and we really must be going."

"Ah, yes, very understandable, my dear friend." He said while still maintaining his elated demeanor and reached into the bag at his side. "Here, young Blue. Please take this pamphlet. We have meetings every Sunday in the building at the far end of the west road past the river, and we would be fantastically delighted to have you visit."

"Um, yeah. Thanks. I'll, uh, think about it." I said cautiously as I took the offered paper and proceeded to think about it.

"_Yeah, you're giving me some serious 'drink the Kool-Aid' kind of vibes here. I think I'm gonna pass on that."_

Luckily, Breezeway was already wishing him a farewell as we entered the village proper. Passing the brochure to Sonata since she was the only one with a bag, I began taking in the various sights and sounds that filled the street. The buildings were more like the traditional single and two-story structures I was familiar with, and each one seemed to be bustling with activity. Some of the buildings were clearly stores with browsing customers inside and shelving that held all manner of things. Others did little to suggest what kind of business was being conducted but nonetheless had a steady stream of pokémon moving in and out. The air was filled with too many conversations to count, and the sound of laborers and crafters hard at work throughout the town seemed to resonate down the street.

"Welcome to the business district, Blue. For pokémon who have a more unique skill set that the village's sectors can't utilize, this is where they usually set up shop. However, some pokémon like Pierce prefer to operate out of their home on a more part-time basis. Despite his place of work, Pierce has actually made quite the name for himself not only within the village but also abroad amongst other pokémon settlements and even in some circles of human collectors. Although, the latter does not realize that some of their anonymously made prized works came from a pokémon. Years ago, I had him do a portrait of my wife and I, and it's still as beautiful as they day he finished it." He recalled fondly before getting back on track. "Further up ahead of us is the market square where you can find most of your essentials when the vendors are set up. It's usually only open for business on the weekends, though. If you can't find what you're looking for there or at one of the permanent shops around here, your best bet will be to talk with Whisper or someone else in Foraging. They'll keep an eye open for it and will at least tell you where you can find it later." Nearing an open-air blacksmith, he had to take a break in his explanation due to the loud sounds of metal being forcefully shaped that were bellowing from it. Several pokémon were working the forge, but the one doing the hammering was a large anteater that looked like it was made of lava. It barely spared us a glance before a small gout of flame escaped its mouth, and it went back to rhythmically beating the piece of hot iron. I continued staring at the scene like it was the first time I had ever seen such a thing as we continued further past it. Breezeway didn't give me a chance to appreciate the surreality of it all, though, and continued speaking.

"As I was saying, Blue. When it's not being used as a market, the square is a free open space for everyone to enjoy and is where we host events for the village. We actually have one coming up next week if that's something that interests you. This will be one of the smaller ones we have during the year and will mostly just be a light social gathering for the village with good food and some local entertainment."

"Well, I'm not usually a fan of big events, but it sounds like fun. It should also be a good opportunity for me to meet the rest of the village. If I'm still here, I'll take a look around."

"Ha. That's the spirit, Blue. I'm sure you'll find some way to enjoy yourself there." He said with an approving grin.

Glancing to the other zorua, I saw Sonata look confused as she opened her mouth to speak. "Uh, Breezy. Are you sure that's next week? I could've sworn that Mom said it was this week."

"Of course I'm sure, Sonata. I may be old, but I don't forget such things that easily. Besides, the council and I have been planning this for over a month. I'm quite certain that I'm not mistaken of its date. Perhaps you had misheard her?"

"Uh, maybe. I'll ask her again later." Breezeway's conviction was clearly lost on her as she looked less than confident about his statement but decided not to say more on the subject.

As we continued, Breezeway would sometimes point out specific businesses and tell me about the different proprietors that made up the local economy. Looking around as we went, I saw a lot of the same shops you would see in a small town. One of which looked like a general store with various vegetables on prominent display by its doors. Inside, I could see a scyther wearing a butcher's uniform haggling with a heliolisk at a counter. They seemed to be having a serious disagreement regarding the used balance scale between the two of them.

A little further up the street we passed a book and stationery store which was joined with a carpenter's shop that displayed several pieces of custom furniture. Another one that stood out was what looked like a hobbyist electronics shop. Behind the glass storefront, several appliances, components, and other pieces of hardware could be seen littering the shelves. What was most eye catching for me, though, was the open 3DS lying lifelessly on top of one of the displays.

"_Alright, I'm calling bull on that. There is no way that Nintendo is a thing here. The probability of that happening is just too astronomically low." _I thought skeptically before remembering my own situation. _"Then again, stranger things have happened. I'll need to come back later to investigate that. __I wonder if __the Pokémon games would be considered the Madden and Fifa of this universe? Could I even play it with paws?"_

Moving out of sight from the electronics shop, I looked at some more of the businesses we were passing and tried to guess what they were. Most were fairly easy to figure out, but some had signs indicating what kind of services they offered like the restaurant called Cris P's. It featured its menu below the name and seemed to have a good variety for just about any kind of pokémon. Rock soup seemed like an odd item, but hey, who am I to judge. Trying to figure out if the prices were reasonable was a little more challenging, though, since I didn't have any kind of reference. Oddly enough, they were listed in pokédollars too if I'm remembering the symbol correctly.

"Hey Breezeway, do you guys use pokédollars as currency here?"

"Why yes, we do," he chipperly informed me as we continued walking down main street, "along with a more traditional barter system, of course. Most of the establishments in Snowbelle don't mind pokémon purchasing goods from them so long as the money is good. If what you're looking for is something the village has, though, then it's usually cheaper to buy it here, but it's not uncommon for some of us to form a group and go on a day trip to the city to do some shopping. Selling to the shop owners there, on the other hand, is a bit more of a hassle. Usually, you will need someone who can write quickly and legibly with you if you want to be able to negotiate for a good price." He noted while a rocky outcropping that held a pool with steam coming off it came into view on our right.

Following my gaze, he smiled at the sight of the steaming water that had a number of occupants already relaxing in it. "That is one of my personal favorites here in the village, Blue. The building next to the hot springs is a spa that was built a few years back. The baths here are quite rejuvenating, but they also offer massages, hairstyling, and other services inside." He explained as he pointed his wing to the see-through store front as we passed. Peering inside, I could indeed see multiple massage tables on one side of the room. However, they were all lined up and in use by single dirt-covered steelix whose tail snaked all the way to the back of the building and probably outside. I did not envy the machop and machoke who were hard at work chiseling away the compacted earth that covered the beast and then polishing the layer of steel underneath. The other half of the shop looked to be a standard grooming salon as a French poodle with a very stylized purple hairdo busied herself with bathing a very relaxed looking small rabbit-like pokémon with large brown ears.

She briefly glanced up as we passed only to do a double take while staring straight at me. She then said something to her client as she rushed for the door and immediately angled herself straight for us.

"Oh Breeezzzzyyyy! Would you hold on for a second." Sh- no, wait. He said as he made his way to us. "I just must meet your stylish new friend there."

"Good afternoon, Louie. I was just showing our newest guest here around the village. He arrived this morning, and I'm hoping to hit the major sites before I have to return him back to Whisper's this evening." He said as he looked over to me to finish introducing myself.

"Hello, you can call me, Blue. How are you this evening, Mr. Louie right?" I asked as I extended my paw as far down to him as I could.

"Charmed, darling. And yes, I am Louie Callas the Third. The sole proprietor of Louie's Spa Magnifique and two-time champion of Lumiose City's Furfrou Best in Show." He stated proudly as he elegantly stood on his hind legs and brought his paw up to mine before settling back down on the ground. "Now, you must tell me who did your mane and coloring, or are you using one of those illusions you all are so proud of? Either way, it looks absolutely dashing on you, and I can't even see a single stray root."

"Ha-ha. Well, thanks, but I've never had my hair colored. This is all-natural and no illusion required I'm afraid." He was slightly taken aback by that but composed himself rather quickly.

"Oh my, my. That is certainly a rare trait in a zorua, but I suppose some people have to be born with all the luck and are able to just roll out of bed in the morning looking fabulous." He admired with a slight pout. "At least I don't have to worry about a new competitor moving into town, though. Not that business hasn't been good, mind you. I'm just not a fan of sharing."

Breezeway looked like he was about to excuse us, but then the poodle's eyes shifted to Breezeway's other shoulder and widened a tad.

"*Le Gasp* Sonata is that you?! Why, it seems like I haven't seen you in ages, dear. You don't think I'm still sore about that whole hair conditioner incident, do you? You know, the one where you made my fur and skin turn into that _hideous_ shade of neon green, and I had to shave my entire coat off and walk around stark naked for the better part of a month." He said with faux concern as Sonata held a very sheepish and guilty look.

"Weeeeellllll… it was a thought."

"Oh, you wound me, darling. It's water under the bridge. I _assure_ you." He promised darkly as he circled around Breezeway like a shark waiting for the first drop of blood to hit the water. "In fact, mon amie, why don't you come back to the shop, and I'll give you a very _special_ treatment that you'll remember for the rest of your life, just to bury the hatchet for good. On the house, of course." He said with a smile that was anything but friendly. His eyes stared at her with an unrivaled intensity that pushed her further into Breezeway.

Even not being the target of his ire and predatory grin, I could still feel the noose tighten around Sonata as she frantically looked for an escape before her panicked eyes fell on me.

"Blue! Do something!"

"Me? What do you think I can do? I don't even have a dog in this fight."

"Oooh, smart and witty as well. You've got quite the keeper there, Sonata." He quipped causing her terror to become a bit more indignant. Breezeway decided now would be a good time to intervene before things got too out of hand.

"Come now, Louie. She was barely older than a pup when that happened. You really should just let it go."

Shifting his gaze to the bird that continued offering safe harbor to the offending zorua, Louie looked incredibly insulted at such a suggestion. "Hmmph. How about I pluck out all of **your** feathers and see how long it takes for you to 'just let it go', Breezy Boy. She may have been young at the time, but she is more than old enough now to see her error. She has never even once given me a proper apology for that." He said while turning his nose up and doing his best to look offended. All eyes were on Sonata again as she fidgeted with her paws.

"Well, I'm, uh, sorr-"

"Bup, bup ,bup, bup. I said a proper apology. I will require no less than your most heartfelt letter confessing your undying guilt over your sins and begging for forgiveness along with a bouquet of freshly picked daylilies from the Coumarine City gardens and a box of the finest Steel chocolates from Cyllage. No, wait, let's make that two boxes. Consider it interest for such a long wait in the first place." We all just stared incredulously at the demanding furfrou. Other than the letter and flowers, I don't know much about what he's asking for, but based on Breezeway's and Sonata's expressions, he might have just asked her to go on a quest for the holy grail. "What are you all gawking at? I would say this is a perfectly reasonable request considering the damage she inflicted. I have not once in my life been so embarrassed as I did for that entire month. Not even when I choked the first time I was on the national stage at the West Kalos Pokémon Show. I at least still had my dignity after that."

Seeing that the overly dramatic spa owner wasn't going to budge on his own, Breezeway did his best to talk down his demands. "*ahem* I'm sure Miss Sonata is deeply sorry for the trouble she caused you all those years ago, Louie. Perhaps though, you should require of her something a little more doable. Otherwise, you might find yourself waiting on that apology for quite a while. I hear that Steel chocolate is a little hard to come by these days especially for a zorua who has never went farther than Snowbelle."

Louie once again looked displeased with Breezeway's suggestion but studied Sonata closely and ultimately relented with a huff. "Fine. If you really want to make amends without the flowers or chocolate, then I expect you to be at the spa bright and early tomorrow and be ready to serve your punishment. I also still want that letter as well as a verbal apology after were done." Feeling conflicted between doing the right thing and self-preservation, Sonata weighed her options in distress as neither choice led to a very desirable outcome.

Seeing her apprehension and with a roll of his eyes, Louie assuaged her fears about what he intended for her... sort of. "Relax, darling. I was only joking earlier and would never sully my good name by so much as moving a single hair on your head out of place. However, you would do well to tell Whisper not to expect you back until some time after dusk. I do plan to take full advantage of our time together after all." Sonata couldn't respond as she audibly gulped at the possible tortures that awaited her and desperately tried to think of a crazy enough plan that would get her out of this. Louie, taking that as her confirmation, addressed me once again.

"You, of course, are welcome to come by anytime, Blue. It would be a crime to let that natural coat of yours lose its luster, and I would truly love to see what colour combinations I can create using your blue as a base. Ooh, I can practically feel the inspiration flowing through me as I think about it. Just try not to let that vixen beside you get you into too much trouble in the meantime. Now, I know you three are probably in a hurry, so if you'll excuse me, I bid you all a good afternoon. And I will be seeing you in the morning, Sonata. ~~_Ta ta_ for now, darling~~." He sing-songed as he turned and made his way back towards the spa entrance.

We all just watched as the furfrou reentered the establishment and went back to work as if nothing had happened. Sonata finally broke the silence as the seconds dragged on.

"So, Blue. If we find your family by tomorrow, can I come stay with you for a little while?" She asked with her voice full of hope as Breezeway decided we had been standing around long enough and pushed onward to the market.

Remembering earlier, I decided to just roll my eyes and ignore such a ridiculous question.


End file.
